The Denver Broncos are back in the playoffs. For the first time since winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos (10-7) will be in the postseason after punching their playoff ticket thanks to a 38-0 thumping of the Chiefs, who rested several key starters Sunday, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and defensive stalwarts Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie.
Denver’s demolition of Kansas City (15-2) was led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who threw four touchdown passes while breaking one of Peyton Manning’s franchise records (more on that later). Nix threw three touchdowns in the first half as Denver took a commanding 24-0 lead into intermission.
The Broncos’ defense recorded four sacks of Chiefs backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who threw for just 98 yards on 10 of 17 passing. Sunday marked the first time the Chiefs were shut out during Andy Reid’s 12-year tenure as head coach.
Denver’s win eliminated the Dolphins and Bengals from postseason contention. Kansas City sewed up the AFC’s No. 1 seed by virtue of its Christmas Day win over the Steelers.
Here’s a closer look at the Broncos’ historic win.
Nix makes history
Nix finished with a season-high 321 yards on 26 of 29 passing. His 89.7 completion percentage broke Manning’s 11-year-old, single-game franchise record. Manning completed 89.29% of his throws in Denver’s regular season finale against the Raiders back in 2013.
In addition to breaking Manning’s record, Nix also made NFL history by ending the season with 19 home touchdown passes (the previous record was 17). Nix also led both teams in rushing with 47 yards on seven carries.
Nix also became the first quarterback since Hall of Famer John Elway to lead the Broncos to the playoffs as a rookie. Elway did so back in 1983.
More Mims
Sean Payton’s receivers came of age this season while consistently making big plays for Nix. One of those players, second-year wideout Marvin Mims Jr., really came on as the regular season came to a close. Mims had two touchdowns against the Bengals in Week 17 and had two more scores against the Chiefs.
A 2023 second-round pick, Mims caught six touchdowns in the Broncos’ last seven regular-season games.
Show me the money
The Broncos made a concerted effort to get Courtland Sutton the 82 yards he needed to receive a $50,000 incentive bonus. Sutton eclipsed that tally before halftime after catching three passes for 89 yards that included a touchdown catch and a 47-yard grab. Sutton also eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the season.
Orange Crush II
On a day where they wore their “Orange Crush” throwback, Denver’s defense once again evoked memories of Denver’s legendary 1977 unit that spearheaded the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. Nik Bonitto had two of the Broncos’ four sacks on Sunday as Denver’s defense finished the year with 62 sacks, a new franchise record. The previous mark was held by the 2015, Super Bowl-winning Broncos defense that tallied 52 sacks.
Never a doubt
It was clear pretty early on that this game wasn’t going to be close. The Broncos outgained the Chiefs 187-13 in the first quarter. Denver scored touchdowns on each of its first three drives as Nix completed each of his first 18 pass attempts.
The Chiefs did the right thing in ensuring that they kept several of their stars healthy going into the playoffs. But that won’t matter to Bengals and Dolphins fans that needed the Chiefs to defeat the Broncos in order to have a chance at stealing the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot.
Play of the game
Rookie seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele is another Broncos wideout who stepped up this season. Vele displayed his gift of grab with his impressive touchdown catch off a deflected pass that increased Denver’s lead to 21-0.
What’s next
Denver will travel to Buffalo to face Josh Allen and the No. 2 seed Bills in the AFC wild-card round. Buffalo received an MVP-caliber season from Allen, who became the first quarterback in NFL history with multiple seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes and 12 touchdown runs.
The Chiefs will wait and see who they will face in the AFC divisional round. Kansas City will play the lowest-seeded wild-card winner.
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